I started off Drinking Rolling Rock because my Alcoholic EX-Brother in law drank it and when he would come over that is what he would bring, I was only 19 at the time (yes I got married at 19, still am married at age 37.....).

When I turned 21 I started purchasing Rolling Rock and then was turned on to Newcastle and I drank that until I discovered Craft Beer around 2003/2004. It was then that I had Alesmith ESB and I left Macro Beer in the dust.

So for me Alesmith is what turned be on to Good Beer. But it was not the first beer I drank.

"Got Me Drinking" .. For me that is slightly less romantic of a story.. I was a mere 16 when my coworkers started telling me to join them after work for drinks. Somehow I held out until I turned 18 - they took me to a few strip clubs on my 18th birthday ( the only birthday day I have ever worked in my life - they said they would not take me out if I called in sick ). Many of the strip clubs had a 2 drink minimum and since I was with 10 guys who looked plenty old enough to drink - I got to drink too ( probably doesn't work that way these days )...

Anyway, back in those days "Avalanche" was about the most popular thing around in colorado restaurants, pubs, bars, etc. The guys from work would order 3 pitchers of that - so that is what I was "allowed to sneak" a drink of while we were all out for dinner. After a few months of "sneaking" drinks - all the staff just assumed I was legal. Then "Fat Tire" quickly became the most popular drink, and since all my coworkers did the ordering, that is what I started drinking.

I drank that nasty intestine bomb until I got a new job and then I was introduced to IPA's by my new boss and it's been IPA ever since.

Somehow I just killed a 15 gallon keg of Fort George Vortex IPA yesterday and I bought the darn thing less than 30 days ago.